Dance: Recollections may vary

Jess & Morgs
Deepfake
director-choreographers Jessica Wright and Morgann Runacre-Temple
performers Kennedy Muntanga, Rebecca Bassett-Graham, Cathy Grealish, Dylan Springer, Tommi Sutton, Marshall Stay, Grace Broodie, Freya Burdon-Watson, Eva Rose Fellows, Evelien Van Den Hondel, Claire Goose, Habib Nasib Nader
writer Jeff James • video design Dan Light
set/costumes Milla Clarke • lighting Simon Bennison
Sadler’s Wells East, Stratford • 1-3.Oct.26 ★★★★

Dazzling on multiple fronts, this fast-paced hour-long show unfolds its politically charged narrative using a mesmerising combination of dance, sound and technology. As the title suggests, the story involves manipulated video, and it plays out with strikingly visual trickery that includes green screens, camerawork, projections and inventive lighting. Meanwhile, the show makes important points relating to political subterfuge, asking salient questions about why the media feels increasingly untrustworthy.

Creators Jessica Wright and Morgann Runacre-Temple, aka Jess & Morgs, keep the tension high from the start, as we watch the Prime Minister (Kennedy Muntanga) preparing to be interviewed by TV journalist Katie (Rebecca Bassett-Graham) about a disastrous series of events the night before. Not only is there a videotape showing him in a state of undress, but he arrived suspiciously late to a state dinner, where he was disheveled and erratic. "Witnesses say you were drunk," Katie says. "No, the video is a fake," he replies.

Dialog (voiced by Habib Nasib Nader and Claire Goose) is mixed into the textured audio track, while the performers lipsync it with broad physical movements that often break out into full-on dance pieces. These include solos and duets, plus a range of elaborate group numbers accompanied by eight performers wearing green-screen bodysuits. One of these carries a handheld camera to capture striking angles on the action, often following performers backstage.

We watch all of this on a splintering array of screens. There's the live action on-stage, surrounded by bright green. And on a giant screen above, we can see the combined images, with backgrounds and even second or third versions of the PM as he puts another spin on his account ("I can't be in two places at once!"). The way these interact is mind-bogglingly complicated. And there are also jaw-dropping sections in which the performers interact with projections of themselves that are being shot live from other angles.

Intriguingly, the choreography is pointed and rather academic, never emotionally engaging. Instead, it reflects the push and pull between a politician and a journalist who have grown accustomed to doing this dance. The mix of modern choreo with ballet is playful, as one of the PM's excuses involves attending his daughter's dance recital. Re-enactments of various situations are riotously amusing, leading to a huge disco break in the final act. And through all of this, there's a driving search for the truth beneath the sound bites. 

For details, JESS & MORGS >

photos by Foteini Christofilopoulou • 1.Oct.26